Search smh:

Amanda Beard, two-time Olympic gold medallist and US team captain, unveils her nude poster for People For the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) at the Olympic Village.Photo: AFP

Fur protest shows skin

Stephen Hutcheon | August 6, 2008

An animal rights group has staged a daring publicity stunt at
the gates of the Olympic athletes' village, co-opting the US
swimming legend Amanda Beard to unveil a risque photo of herself to
help draw attention to cruelty in the Chinese fur trade.

The event was to be held in a private room at a nearby hotel but
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) director Jason
Baker said officials locked down the hotel last night, citing
unspecified security concerns.

The event was hastily shifted to the south gate of the athletes'
village where earlier today a media scrum greeted the four-time
Olympian under the watchful eye of officials and police.

PETA's campaign - which features Beard wearing only her swimming
goggles in front of the Stars and Stripes - coincides with an
undercover investigation carried out by the group into the fur
industry in China.

The poster, which Beard held aloft for the cameras, carries the
slogan: "Be comfortable in your own skin. Don't wear fur."

She pointedly avoided direct criticism of the Chinese fur trade
and stressed she was lending support to an organisation in which
she passionately believed.

"The more I learn about animals when their skin is ripped from
their bodies while they're still alive to create fur ... it's
heartbreaking to me because I love animals," Beard said.

Asked if she thought the photo was too risque, Beard replied: "I
go to the office in a swimsuit, so for me to shed a few more pieces
of clothing isn't a real big deal for me. I've done
Playboy. I'm fully comfortable with my body and who I
am."

PETA's investigation found that before they are skinned alive,
animals are pulled from their cages and bludgeoned with metal rods
or slammed on hard surfaces - something which does not always
result in immediate death.

Beard is no stranger to baring her body for a good cause. She
has appeared in lads' mag FHM; the 2006 Sports
Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, and in July 2007, she featured as
Playmate of the Month in Playboy.